Yesterday, I watched the movie 'GORILLAS IN THE MIST'....very good indeed.

Gorillas in the Mist is a 1988 American drama film directed by Michael Apted and starring Sigourney Weaver as naturalist Dian Fossey. It tells the true-life story of her work in Rwanda with Mountain Gorillas and was nominated for five Academy Awards.

A Kentucky woman named Dian Fossey (Sigourney Weaver) is inspired by the anthropologist Louis Leakey (Ian Cuthbertson) to devote her life to the study of primates. To this end, she writes ceaselessly to him for a job cataloguing and studying the rare mountain gorillas of Africa. With some effort, she manages to convince Leakey of her conviction and devotion to the cause at hand after personally approaching him following a lecture on his part in 1966. Thereafter, Fossey embarks into the Congo, where Leakey and his foundation equip her with the necessary equipment and housing to achieve personal contact with the gorillas, and introduce her to a local animal tracker, Sembagare (John Omirah Miluwi), to assist her in her endeavors. Settling deep in the jungle, Fossey and Sembagare manage to locate a troop of gorillas, but they are ultimately displaced by the events of an ongoing civil war after being forcibly evicted from their research site by Congolese soldiers, who accuse Fossey of being a foreign spy and agitator.

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I must say that this is a top movie...and I like it very much...wish you all watch it too, that's why I don't tell you how the movie end.

The Acropolis of Athens, with the Parthenon
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Once we flew out of Karachi, Pakistan...after 4 days off. We all were so fresh on board, Thor, the super handsome steward who looked/built so much like Rock Hudson(Hollywood actor) was in such a good mood he decorated the food trolley for the first class so beautifully with 2 small Viking ships made from bananas/toothpicks/red cherries.To see him is to love him..his blue-eyes so blue..his golden blond hair reminded me of the song "Close To You": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp6iz--LitA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

He told me his name 'Thor' means 'God of thunder', we worked together in the first class. 2 fc.passengers took pictures of us..my head was only level to his shoulder, he was tall/looked like a Greek god. And he was very nice, when we stopped in Athens for 40 mins at the airport, a local woman came up to clean the cabin, when she finished and about to leave..Thor put fruits/beautiful decorated chocolate desserts(left over from serving) in 2 bags and gave to the cleaner..she was so happy!!!.
R
Then the pilot in command told us about the engine trouble, we had to announce indefinite delay, passengers were transported to a hotel. And all crews were so happy to tour Athens during delay 1 day( until we got the spare part for the engine).During the tour, I was sitting by the 2nd pilot and he told me that Thor lived in with his Swedish pilot-friend, Thor is a gayman!!!

Coincidently...Rock Hudson was a gayman too, he died of HIV years ago. Many SAS stewards I worked with were gay-men and a few of them graduated from Chef-school.

In Norse mythology, Thor (from Old Norse Þórr) is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing and fertility. The cognate deity in wider Germanic mythology and paganism was known in Old English as Þunor and in Old High German as Donar (runic þonar ᚦᛟᚾᚨᚱ), stemming from a Common Germanic *Þunraz (meaning "thunder").

Ultimately stemming from Proto-Indo-European religion, Thor is a prominently mentioned god throughout the recorded history of the Germanic peoples, from the Roman occupation of regions of Germania, to the tribal expansions of the Migration Period, to his high popularity during the Viking Age, when, in the face of the process of the Christianization of Scandinavia, emblems of his hammer, Mjölnir, were worn in defiance and Norse pagan personal names containing the name of the god bear witness to his popularity. Into the modern period, Thor continued to be acknowledged in rural folklore throughout Germanic regions. Thor is frequently referred to in place names, the day of the week Thursday ("Thor's day") bears his name, and names stemming from the pagan period containing his own continue to be used today.

In Norse mythology, largely recorded in Iceland from traditional material stemming from Scandinavia, numerous tales and information about Thor are provided. In these sources, Thor bears at least fourteen names, is the husband of the golden-haired goddess Sif, is the lover of the jötunn Járnsaxa, and is generally described as fierce-eyed, red-haired and red-bearded.[1] With Sif, Thor fathered the goddess (and possible valkyrie) Þrúðr; with Járnsaxa, he fathered Magni; with a mother whose name is not recorded, he fathered Móði, and he is the stepfather of the god Ullr. The same sources list Thor as the son of the god Odin and the personified earth, Fjörgyn, and by way of Odin, Thor has numerous brothers. Thor has two servants, Þjálfi and Röskva, rides in a cart or chariot pulled by two goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr (that he eats and resurrects), and is ascribed three dwellings (Bilskirnir, Þrúðheimr, and Þrúðvangr). Thor wields the mountain-crushing hammer, Mjölnir, wears the belt Megingjörð and the iron gloves Járngreipr, and owns the staff Gríðarvölr. Thor's exploits, including his relentless slaughter of his foes and fierce battles with the monstrous serpent Jörmungandr—and their foretold mutual deaths during the events of Ragnarök—are recorded throughout sources for Norse mythology.

In Norse mythology, Thor (from Old Norse Þórr) is a hammer-wielding god associated with thunder, lightning, storms, oak trees, strength, the protection of mankind, and also hallowing, healing and fertility. The cognate deity in wider Germanic mythology and paganism was known in Old English as Þunor and in Old High German as Donar (runic þonar ᚦᛟᚾᚨᚱ), stemming from a Common Germanic *Þunraz (meaning "thunder").

Ultimately stemming from Proto-Indo-European religion, Thor is a prominently mentioned god throughout the recorded history of the Germanic peoples, from the Roman occupation of regions of Germania, to the tribal expansions of the Migration Period, to his high popularity during the Viking Age, when, in the face of the process of the Christianization of Scandinavia, emblems of his hammer, Mjölnir, were worn in defiance and Norse pagan personal names containing the name of the god bear witness to his popularity. Into the modern period, Thor continued to be acknowledged in rural folklore throughout Germanic regions. Thor is frequently referred to in place names, the day of the week Thursday ("Thor's day") bears his name, and names stemming from the pagan period containing his own continue to be used today.

In Norse mythology, largely recorded in Iceland from traditional material stemming from Scandinavia, numerous tales and information about Thor are provided. In these sources, Thor bears at least fourteen names, is the husband of the golden-haired goddess Sif, is the lover of the jötunn Járnsaxa, and is generally described as fierce-eyed, red-haired and red-bearded.[1] With Sif, Thor fathered the goddess (and possible valkyrie) Þrúðr; with Járnsaxa, he fathered Magni; with a mother whose name is not recorded, he fathered Móði, and he is the stepfather of the god Ullr. The same sources list Thor as the son of the god Odin and the personified earth, Fjörgyn, and by way of Odin, Thor has numerous brothers. Thor has two servants, Þjálfi and Röskva, rides in a cart or chariot pulled by two goats, Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr (that he eats and resurrects), and is ascribed three dwellings (Bilskirnir, Þrúðheimr, and Þrúðvangr). Thor wields the mountain-crushing hammer, Mjölnir, wears the belt Megingjörð and the iron gloves Járngreipr, and owns the staff Gríðarvölr. Thor's exploits, including his relentless slaughter of his foes and fierce battles with the monstrous serpent Jörmungandr—and their foretold mutual deaths during the events of Ragnarök—are recorded throughout sources for Norse mythology.

Yes i know that Thor is from the norse mythology. There is even movie and marvel comics about him
That's why i was wondering if the name is used in nordic countries as real name or it was just a nickname that the steward used?

yawares wrote:Because of 'Thor', I found the trick to get away from pilots' flirtings without made them mad/hate me(some people couldn't stand rejection)...I told them I was a lesbian...and it worked !!!

yawares

Oh so you broke the 5 precepts to get out of bad situation?
Just kidding, i know you dont wanna risk the lives of the passengers by upseting the pilot

Today I read the news:
Fabrice Morvan -- better known as one half of duo Milli Vanilli -- tells TMZ ... he's sort of a trailblazer ... because nowadays almost EVERYBODY in pop music lip-syncs their songs.
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But definitely not Vanessa Williams!

Miss USA: Vanessa L. Williams
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963), known professionally as Vanessa L. Williams or Vanessa Williams, is an American singer, actress, producer and former fashion model. In 1983, she became the first African American woman crowned Miss America, but a scandal arose when Penthouse magazine bought and published nude photographs of her. She relinquished her title early and was succeeded by the first runner-up, Suzette Charles of New Jersey. Williams rebounded by launching a career as an entertainer, earning multiple Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Award nominations. She is the most successful former Miss America winner in the field of entertainment.

This afternoon is pretty much like spring in Texas, my plants start to have new leaves/new buds..the weather is so nice to work in my front/backyard. With my boombox playing songs, I can work all afternoon with happy heart

because I don't want to stand by the gate of hell !! I should practice 'Loving-kindness' more and more so I can go to heaven...well how about me..starting today ???
Starting today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljFBqAckdLY" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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I got this lovely story from my dear friend 'Antony'(BuddhaVihara), please let me share it with you all.

An Appointment to Remember
[by S.I. Kishor...true story]

John Blanchard stood up from the bench, straightened his Army uniform, and
studied the crowd of people making their way through Grand Central Station. He
looked for the girl whose heart he knew, but whose face he didn't, the girl with
the rose.

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His interest in her had begun thirteen months before in a Florida library.
Taking a book off the shelf he found himself intrigued, not with the words of
the book, but with the notes penciled in the margin. The soft handwriting
reflected a thoughtful soul and insightful mind.

In the front of the book, he discovered the previous owner's name, Miss Hollis
Maynell. With time and effort he located her address. She now lived in New York
City.

He wrote her a letter introducing himself and inviting her to correspond. Soon
after he was shipped overseas for service in World War II.

During the next year and one month the two grew to know each other through the
mail. Each letter was a seed falling on a fertile heart. A romance was budding.
Blanchard requested a photograph, but she refused. She felt that if he really
cared, it wouldn't matter what she looked like.

When the day finally came for him to return from Europe, they scheduled their
first meeting - 7:00 PM at the Grand Central Station in New York. "You'll
recognize me," she wrote, "by the red rose I'll be wearing on my lapel."

So at 7:00 he was in the station looking for a girl whose heart he loved, but
whose face he'd never seen. I'll let Mr. Blanchard tell you what happened:

A young woman was coming toward me, her figure long and slim. Her blonde hair
lay back in curls from her delicate ears; her eyes were blue as flowers. Her
lips and chin had a gentle firmness, and in her pale green suit she was like
springtime come alive. I started toward her, entirely forgetting to notice that
she was not wearing a rose. As I moved, a small, provocative smile curved her
lips. "Going my way, sailor?" she murmured.

Almost uncontrollably I made one step closer to her, and then I saw Hollis
Maynell. She was standing almost directly behind the girl. A woman well past 40,
she had graying hair tucked under a worn hat.. She was more than plump, her
thick-ankled feet thrust into low-heeled shoes. The girl in the green suit was
walking quickly away. I felt as though I was split in two, so keen was my desire
to follow her, and yet so deep was my longing for the woman whose spirit had
truly companioned me and upheld my own. And there she stood. Her pale, plump
face was gentle and sensible, her gray eyes had a warm and kindly twinkle. I did
not hesitate. My fingers gripped the small worn blue leather copy of the book
that was to identify me to her.

This would not be love, but it would be something precious, something perhaps
even better than love, a friendship for which I had been and must ever be
grateful. I squared my shoulders and saluted and held out the book to the woman,
even though while I spoke I felt choked by the bitterness of my disappointment.
"I'm Lieutenant John Blanchard, and you must be Miss Maynell. I am so glad you
could meet me; may I take you to dinner?"

The woman's face broadened into a tolerant smile. "I don't know what this is
about, son," she answered, "but the young lady in the green suit who just went
by, she begged me to wear this rose on my coat. And she said if you were to ask
me out to dinner, I should go and tell you that she is waiting for you in the
big restaurant across the street. She said it was some kind of test!"

It's not difficult to understand and admire Miss Maynell's wisdom.

The true nature of a heart is seen in its response to the unattractive.